Ok einn morgin snemma, er þeir lituðuz um, sáu þeir níu húðkeipa, ok var veift trjánum af skipunum, ok lét því líkast í, sem í halmþustum, ok fer sólarsinnis. Þá mælti Karlsefni: Hvat mun þetta tákna? Snorri svarar honum: Vera kann, at þetta sé friðartákn, ok tǫkum skjǫld hvítan, ok berum í mót. Ok svá gerðu þeir. Þá reru hinir ímót, ok undruðuz þá, ok gengu þeir á land. Þeir váru smáir menn ok illiligir, ok illt hǫfðu þeir hár á hǫfði; eygðir váru þeir mjǫk ok breiðir í kinnunum. Ok dvǫlðuz þeir um stund ok undruðuz, reru síðan íbrott ok suðr fyrir nesit. Þeir hǫfðu gert bygðir sínar upp frá vatninu, ok váru sumir skálarnir nær vatninu, en sumir firr. Nú váru þeir þar þann vetr. Þar kom alls engi snjár, ok allr fénaðr gekk þar úti sjálfala. Enn er vára tók, geta þeir at líta einn morgin snemma, at fjǫlði húðkeipa reri sunnan fyrir nesit, sva margir, sem kolum væri sáit, ok var þó veift á hverju skipi trjánum. Þeir brugðu þá skjǫldum upp. ok tóku kaupstefnu sín á millum, ok vildi þat fólk helzt kaupa rautt klæði; þeir vildu ok kaupa sverð ok spjót, enn þat bǫnnuðu þeir Karlsefni ok Snorri. Þeir hǫfðu ófǫlvan belg fyrir klæðit, ok toku spannar langt klæði fyrir belg ok bundu um hǫfuð sér, ok fór svá um stund. Enn er minka tók klæðit, þá skáru þeir í sundr, svá at eigi var breiðara enn þvers fingrar breitt. Gáfu þeir Skrælingar jafnmikit fyrir eða meira. Þat bar til, at griðungr hljóp ór skógi, er þeir Karlsefni átti, ok gall hátt við. Þeir fælaz við Skrælingar ok hlaupa út á keipana ok reru suðr fyrir land. Varð þá ekki vart við þá þrjár vikur í samt. Enn er sjá stund var liðin, sjá þeir sunnan fara mikinn fjǫlða skipa Skrælinga, svá sem straumr stœði. Var þá veift trjánum ǫllum rangsœlis, ok ýla allir Skrælingar hátt upp. Þá tóku þeir rauða skjǫldu ok báru ímót. Gengu þeir þá saman ok bǫrðuz, varð þar skothríð hǫrð. Þeir hǫfðu ok valslǫngur, Skrælingar. Þat sjá þeir Karlsefni ok Snorri, at þeir fœrðu upp á stǫngum, Skrælingarnir, knǫtt mikinn ok blán at lit, ok fló upp á land yfir liðit ok lét illiliga við, þar er niðr kom. Við þetta sló ótta miklum yfir Karlsefni ok á lið hans, svá at þá fýsti enskis annars enn hallda undan ok upp með ánni, því at þeim þótti lið Skrælinga drífa at ser ǫllum megin, ok létta eigi fyrr, enn þeir koma til hamra nǫkkura. Veittu þeir þar viðtǫku harða. Freydís kom út ok sá, er þeir helldu undan. Hon kallaði: Hví renni þér undan slíkum auvirðis mǫnnum svá gildir menn, er mér þætti líkligt at þér mættit drepa þá svá sem búfé, ok ef ek hefða vápn, þætti mér sem ek munda betr berjaz enn einnhverr yðvar. Þeir gáfu ǫngvan gaum hvat sem hon sagði. Freydís vildi fylgja þeim, ok varð hon helldr sein, þvíat hon var eigi heil. Gekk hon þá eptir þeim í skóginn, enn Skrælingar sœkja at henni. Hon fann fyrir sér mann dauðan, Þorbrand Snorrason, ok stóð hellusteinn í hǫfði honum. Sverðit lá hjá honum, ok hon tók þat upp ok býz at verja sik með. Þá koma Skrælingar at henni. Hon tekr brjóstit upp ór serkinum ok slettir á sverðit. Þeir fælaz við ok hlaupa undan ok á skip sín ok helldu á brottu. Þeir Karlsefni finna hana ok lofa happ hennar. Tveir menn fellu af Karlsefni, enn fjórir af Skrælingum; enn þó urðu þeir Karlsefni ofrliði bornir. Fara þeir nu til búða sinna ok íhuga, hvat fjǫlmenni þat var, er at þeim sótti á landinu. Sýndiz þeim nú, at þat eina mun liðit hafa verit, er á skipunum kom, enn annat liðit mun hafa verit þversýningar. Þeir Skrælingar fundu ok mann dauðan, ok lá øx hjá honum; einn þeirra tók upp øxina ok hǫggr með tré, ok þá hverr at ǫðrum, ok þótti þeim vera gersimi ok bita val. Síðan tók einn ok hjó í stein ok brotnaði øxin, þótti honum þá ǫngu nýt, er eigi stóð við grjótinu, ok kastaði niðr. Þeir þóttuz nú sjá, þótt þar væri landskostir góðir, at þar mundi jafnan ófriðr ok ótti á liggja af þeim, er fyrir bjuggu. Síðan bjugguz þeir á brott ok ætluðu til sins lands.

Early one morning, as they looked around, they saw nine skin boats. The people in them were waving sticks, which made a sound like flails threshing grain, and they waved them sunwise. Then Karlsefni said, “What can this mean?” Snorri answered him, “It may be a sign of peace. Let’s take a white shield and hold it out toward them.” And so they did. Then the others rowed toward them, staring at them in wonder, and came ashore. They were small men and fierce-looking, with coarse hair on their heads. Their eyes were large and their cheeks broad. They stayed a while, gazing at the newcomers, and then rowed away south around the headland. Karlsefni’s people had built their houses above the lagoon, some halls near the water and some farther away. They stayed there that winter. No snow fell at all, and all the livestock grazed outdoors and fed themselves. When spring came, early one morning they saw a great crowd of skin boats rowing up from the south around the headland. There were so many that the bay looked as if it had been sown with charcoal, and on every boat sticks were waved. Then Karlsefni’s people held up their shields, and the two sides began to trade. Those people wanted most of all to buy red cloth. They also wanted to buy swords and spears, but Karlsefni and Snorri forbade it. They offered an unspoiled pelt for the cloth. For each pelt the Skrælings took a piece of cloth a hand’s span long and tied it around their heads. This went on for a while. When the cloth began to run short, Karlsefni’s people cut it into strips no wider than a finger. The Skrælings still gave as much for it, or more. Then it happened that a bull belonging to Karlsefni and his men ran out of the forest, bellowing loudly. The Skrælings took fright, ran out to their boats, and rowed away south along the coast. For three whole weeks after that there was no sign of them. When that time had passed, they saw a great crowd of Skræling boats coming from the south, pouring in like a stream. This time all the sticks were waved against the sun, and all the Skrælings howled loudly. Then Karlsefni’s men took red shields and held them out toward them. The two sides met and fought, and a heavy shower of missiles flew. The Skrælings also had war slings. Karlsefni and Snorri saw the Skrælings raise up on poles a large ball, dark blue in color. It flew up over the land above Karlsefni’s band and made a terrible noise where it came down. At this a great fear came over Karlsefni and his men. All they wanted was to retreat up along the river, because it seemed to them that the Skrælings were closing in from every side. They did not stop until they reached some cliffs. There they fought back hard. Freydis came out and saw them retreating. She shouted, “Why are you running from such wretches, strong men like you? I’d have thought you could slaughter them like cattle. If I had a weapon, I think I could fight better than any of you.” They paid no attention to anything she said. Freydis wanted to go with them, but she was rather slow, because she was with child. She followed them into the forest, and the Skrælings came after her. In front of her she found a dead man, Thorbrand Snorrason, with a flat stone sunk into his head. His sword lay beside him. She picked it up and got ready to defend herself. Then the Skrælings came at her. She pulled her breast out of her shift and slapped the sword against it. At this the Skrælings took fright, ran off to their boats, and rowed away. Karlsefni and his men found her and praised her good luck. Two of Karlsefni’s men had fallen, and four of the Skrælings, but still Karlsefni’s band had been overwhelmed by their numbers. They went back to their camp and wondered about the great crowd that had attacked them on land. Now it seemed to them that only the band that came in the boats had been real. The other band must have been an illusion. The Skrælings had also found a dead man with an axe lying beside him. One of them picked up the axe and chopped at a tree with it, and then each of the others did the same. They thought it a treasure that cut well. Then one of them struck a stone with it, and the axe broke. Then he thought it worthless, since it could not stand up to stone, and he threw it down. Karlsefni’s people now saw that, good as the land was, they would always live in fear and in conflict with the people who already lived there. So they got ready to leave, meaning to go back to their own country.